UMES chosen for Eisenhower HBCU Fellowship

Five students received awards ranging from $1,500 to $7,500

PRINCESS ANNE, MD – June 9, 2010-The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has been awarded a grant totaling $20,500 from this year’s Dwight David Eisenhower HBCU Fellowship. Five students were selected as recipients of the fellowship, which is provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Technology Partnership Program.

The awards, ranging from $1,500 to $7,500, will help cover the cost of the students’ tuition, fees and other academic expenses. Additionally, the students will have the opportunity to attend the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting held from Jan. 23-27 in Washington, D.C.

“The meeting is an excellent opportunity for students to meet leaders in the transportation industry and make contacts at the Department of Transportation,” said Chris Hartman, a lecturer in the Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences at UMES.

The objective of the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program is to attract qualified students to the field of transportation and research, and advance transportation workforce development.

This is the fourth year that UMES has received funding for Eisenhower Fellowships.

“In the past, we have had as many as five students receive as much as $10,000 each,” Hartman said.

To qualify for the fellowship, students had to submit research proposals, which were ranked by an on-campus committee consisting of three UMES representatives and a representative from the Maryland Aviation Administration, Hartman said. Final decisions were made off-campus by the fellowship providers at the Department of Transportation.

Graduate student Xavier Henry, who is majoring in food and agricultural science, received the largest fellowship amount of $7,500. Jake Brady, Jr., who is earning his master’s degree in career and technology education, and Andrew Grizzle, a senior engineering major, both, received $5,000.

While some of the students are still exploring topics for their Eisenhower projects, Grizzle says he already has a plan of action. “I’m studying the effects of aerodynamics on road, rail and air transportation with regards to efficiency,” said Grizzle, a native of Jamaica.